Due largely to unfortunate circumstances via Mois\u00e9s Caicedo\u2019s suspension and Rom\u00e9o Lavia\u2019s muscular injury (again), what started out as an odd lineup was altered even further with Reece James picking up what is described as a muscular injury prior to kickoff, thereby giving Andrey Santos the start in midfield.<\/p>\n
All that aside, this has been billed largely as the Est\u00eav\u00e3o derby, with whistlesports<\/a> and DAZN<\/a> themselves pinning our own esteemed David Pasztor\u2019s article<\/a> in their post about it. To be fair, in the first half Est\u00eav\u00e3o had his chances, as did Facundo Torres on the opposite flank, but they were largely swallowed up by our defense or Robert S\u00e1nchez.<\/p>\n We started quite lively, indicating our intention in this competition, and particularly after the recent UEFA fines, cash flow can\u2019t hurt. But as can happen with this squad via either instruction or complacency, we allowed Palmeiras to grow into the match and began to defend more as the first half wore on.<\/p>\n The midfield was contentious, and while cards were sparingly given in the beginning of the first half, they grew increasingly often as it wore on – which significantly impacts the team who were to progress, so Liam Delap\u2019s and Levi Colwill\u2019s suspensions bear much more weight than the others. Chelsea strikers and card suspensions should not become a norm, but Nicolas Jackson is now available for the next match.<\/p>\n The second half was not ideal, as the Est\u00eav\u00e3o derby ticked up in intensity as he smashed in a near post shot through a difficult angle but did well to separate himself from Colwill and made S\u00e1nchez regret his poor coverage of the near post.<\/p>\n That prompted an immediate change, with Noni Madueke and new signing Jo\u00e3o Pedro coming on and both creating great chances for themselves in the dying minutes of the match. Jo\u00e3o Pedro seemingly came on with something to prove and did indeed do so, showing a bright spark towards the dying embers of the match. The general play was certainly not the quality we would have prefered but Chelsea were certainly the better of the two sides as the crunching midfield tackles continued. <\/p>\n Carefree!<\/p>\n\n